Preowned: 2008 Subaru Legacy Spec. B

The 2008 Subaru Legacy Spec B.

PHOTO: Handout photo, Subaru

Four-door still offered sport for the whole family

By Clare Dear, Postmedia News

Originally published: October 19, 2011

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Sometimes, practicality can drive a spike through the heart of a driving enthusiast. A sporty roadster would be wonderful, but, as one’s lifestyle changes, there must be sacrifices — two seats and the top down are replaced by four doors, child seats and space for the dog. Fun time behind the wheel is gone.

Not so fast.

There are a few products that combine the practical needs of a family vehicle while retaining sufficient performance to satisfy most gear heads. For the 2008 model year, Subaru had a prime candidate lurking in its Legacy sedan lineup — the 2.5GT spec. B. It had all the features one needed for family duties, plus attributes that satisfied any enthusiast’s passion.

The 2008 was available in a dark grey metallic that brought a grin to drivers’ faces the moment they started driving it. You had a sense this car wanted to be driven as soon as it’s fired up.

Perhaps it was the 2.5-litre, turbocharged and inter-cooled, high-output flat-four under the hood, just waiting to let loose its 243 horses; or maybe it was the stubby gearshift lever poking up from the console drivers’ connection to the slick six-speed manual transmission. Either way, there was a definite feeling this was more than just a family sedan.

On the road, it lived up to that first impression. First, the sporty bucket seats wrapped around you and the suede-like Alcantara inserts keep your butt planted when the drive switched from sedate to enthused.

To keep the package level as cornering forces increase, the front strut-type and rear multi-link suspension system was given a sporty makeover by Bilstein, including the use of aluminum alloy arms front and rear.

Some might have found the setup a tad too firm, but it’s not jarring. For many, the slight compromise in ride quality to gain superior handling manners was a worthwhile tradeoff.

Likewise, the noise level may have been a touch higher than in other Legacy models, but it was a sweet tune as the engine spooled up and the gears were engaged.

One feature that could help you convince the other half of the family management team to spring for a spec.B was a little gizmo called SI-Drive. This system was controlled by a knob on the centre console that enabled you to dial up a choice of three settings that optimize efficiency or power.

The default mode was Intelligent, which relaxed the throttle response curve and trimmed the maximum power output by about 20 per cent. In exchange for softer performance, there was a boost in fuel economy — up to 10 per cent. If road conditions were wet or slippery, this “relaxed” mode also helped you gain better traction as it worked with Subaru’s standard allwheel drive, traction control and vehicle dynamics systems.

For more fun, the Sport mode boosted the throttle response and noticeably increased the engine’s power output.

However, to feel the full energy of this peppy performer, drivers had to switch to Sport Sharp, which modified the electronic throttle mapping for almost instant response, allowing the engine’s power to come on stronger and sooner.

One of the changes Subaru made for 2008 was to add a second button for controlling the SI-Drive. It was mounted on the steering wheel. Why? Not sure, as it often had drivers unintentionally engaging this control as their hands moved about the wheel.

Otherwise, there were no issues with the interior. Gauges were where you’d expect them to be located; controls were easy to reach and simple to engage.

One nice touch was the way the centre stack was angled slightly toward the driver, yet the knobs and buttons for features such as the navigation, audio and automatic dual-zone climate control systems were equally accessible for both front-seat occupants.

The 2008 Legacy was given a new look, but you had to look hard to see it. The front and rear were freshened, including new fascias, a new grille, headlights and tail lights.

The result was subtle, building on the previous model’s attractive styling without making — 07 Legacy owners feel their cars were outdated.

If you turn green watching those sporty machines zip by but needed something more practical and discreet, the 2008 Legacy 2.5GT spec. B was an ideal solution.